Boquillas del Carmen for the New York Times

I scored a great assignment this month from the New York Times travel section to visit Boquillas del Carmen, a tiny Mexican village just across the border from Big Bend National Park.

The border crossing at the Rio Grande River was officially closed in 2002 after the events of 9/11. With tourism dollars dried up, two-thirds of the residents of Boquillas had to relocate. Families were separated, some unable to visit from the US side of the border.

Last year, the river crossing reopened with a new $3.2 million dollar US border and customs building. Tourism is coming back to the sleepy town of Boquillas, but it has a long way to go. You can read the article here.

Boquillas del Carmen - Images by Julia Robinson

2013 Chuckwagon Races

Spent the Labor Day weekend with the delightfully weird Sol Neelman at the National Chuckwagon Races in Clinton, Arkansas. This event was a blast to shoot if also incredibly hot and light challenged. All the races happened from 1-4pm; hard on the horses and the photographers. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

We ran into the local Democrat-Gazette shooter Benjamin Krain, an APADer from back in the day. His remote camera was annihilated by chuckwagons while hustling his own (impressive) set of images from the weekend. I love how prevalent the photo family is, even in the middle of nowhere Arkansas. We're always one beer away from friends in this industry.

Looking forward to the next one!



2013 Chuckwagon Races - Images by Julia Robinson

Michael Cunningham for Ed Tech Magazine

I photographed Michael Cunningham, UT Austin's Director of IT, for Ed Tech Magazine last month. Cunningham has shifted disaster preparedness from causes to effects - instead of preparing for a tornado, they prepare for the effects from that tornado. It's a simple idea, but one that gives the system redundancy and flexibility in the face of any disaster. We did the shoot a few days after a massive bomb threat was called into campus forcing a university-wide evacuation. "We had a plan for that one, too," quipped Cunningham.


Ed Tech - Images by Julia Robinson

Greenwood Hall for the Chronicle of Higher Education

Went out to Bryan, Texas for the Chronicle of Higher Education last month. Photographing a call-center is challenging, to say the least - cubicles, computers, headsets, sedentary workday. You'll never see a photographer work harder than when the visuals are slim.

"Thank you for calling Troy University," Ms. Martin answers calls to its 800 number. "My name is Adrienne. How may I help you?"

What callers may not realize is that she isn't at Troy's main campus, in Southeastern Alabama—or any of its other locations. She's not even a university employee.

In fact, Ms. Martin is taking calls from an office building here in Central Texas, some 700 miles from the city of Troy. Her employer, Greenwood & Hall, handles phone traffic for clients that include 35 colleges and universities.

Greenwood Hall - Images by Julia Robinson

Texas Medicaid Fraud for the Wall Street Journal

Texas is cracking down on Medicaid fraud including cosmetic dental procedures and unnecessary root-canals on small children.

William Steinhauer, a San Antonio dentist who heads a Texas Dental Association committee that specializes in Medicaid issues, said he is happy the state is cracking down on fraud. "For too long Texas doctors have been trying to profit off of poor patients," he said.

Archive (2012-03-24)>BlogPhotos>TexasMedicaid - Images by Julia Robinson

Bee Revival for the Wall Street Journal

Recent rains have provided relief from Texas' drought conditions and led to a resurgence of bees as wildflowers and other plants have made a rebound. A 40-year-old warehouse worker was stung more than 300 times after disturbing a massive colony of bees in Pflugerville on August 8. In a separate incident on August 6, a man was stung while attempting to remove bees in his home with a vacuum cleaner. He went into shock while driving himself to the hospital and crashed into a pedestrian, several cars and a house in west Austin.

Keith Huddle is the man they call to remove these hives. Business has been booming since late spring with Huddle doing 4-5 removals a day. Needless to say, it's hot in those suits. Think I dropped 5 pounds in 45 minutes. Whew.


Archive (2012-03-24)>BlogPhotos>Bee - Images by Julia Robinson

Cotulla for the Texas Observer

I spent an afternoon in Cotulla for the Texas Observer last month. This tiny town south of San Antonio is known in my family as the epicenter of Pig Fest, aka, the La Salle Wild Hog Cook-off. We've spent many a chilly March weekend sampling the finest chili, stew, roast, tacos, sausage, you name it, and watching the hog-themed parade down Main Street.

Cotulla is a different place now. In the last two years the population has more than doubled from 4,000 to 10,000 due to the fracking of the Eagle Ford Shale. Temporary housing and hotels can't be built fast enough. Heavy equipment and truck traffic roar through Cotulla's only stop-light, snarling traffic and damaging roads. The locals are happy with the boosted economy and higher paying jobs in the oil fields, but there is a cost. You can read Alex Hannaford's article here.

UIL Baseball for the Dallas Morning News

I followed the Rockwall-Heath team for two games leading to their 10-1 4A state championship win, aka slug-fest. It's the first state championship for the school. Much deserved guys.

Rockwell-Heath's Jake Beldsoe (#34), left, and Grayson Lewis (#10) right, both slide safely into home as Montgomery's Cody Conn, center, bobbles the ball in the third inning during the UIL 4A semi-final at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock Texas on Thursday, June 7, 2012. Heath defeated Montgomery 6-3 and advances to the UIL 4A state finals on Friday.

Rockwell-Heath's Clayton Rasbeary sports a red mohawk during the semi-final game against Montgomery.

Rockwell-Heath pitcher Jake Thompson finished the game with a limp in his right leg.

Luke Fisher, 13, left, and Jacob Williams, 13, right, cheer on the Rockwall-Heath Hawks in their championship game against Cleburne at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas on Friday, June 8, 2012.

Rockwall-Heath pitcher Jovan Hernandez was the MVP.at the UIL 4A State Championship game at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas on Friday, June 8, 2012.

Rockwall-Heath's RJ Williams, left, avoids the tag at home by Cleburne's Max Reynolds, left, in the second inning.

Jovan Hernandez rounds the bases after a two-run homer.

Rockwall-Heath's Grayson Lewis, center, slides safely into home after Cade Flory, right, on a double by Russell Hughes in the fourth innin.

Rockwall-Heath pitcher Jovan Hernandez, right, celebrates after throwing for a double-play that ended their 10-1 victory over Cleburne during the UIL 4A State Championship game at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas on Friday, June 8, 2012.

Rockwall-Heath pitcher Jovan Hernandez, right, hugs teammate Clayton Rasbeary, left, after receiving the MVP award.

UIL Softball for the Dallas Morning News

Plano East fell short in their 5A semi-final against Klein Collins. Third place never feels good.



 

 

 

 

 

 

Eclipse

Like every other person with functioning eyes in America, I went out to chase the eclipse last month. My partner in eclipsin' Lance Rosenfield and I started out downtown where tall buildings threatened a total bummer of a shot, so we blasted out west finding a vacant limestone cliff just in time for the magic. Beer tastes better after a successful hunt.